McKeesport Felon Facing Charges of Distributing Fentanyl Resulting in Death and Illegal Possession of Ammunition

PITTSBURGH - A resident of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of violating federal narcotics and firearms laws, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

The two separate but related indictments, returned on August 4, named Rahde Williamson aka "Raw" age 25, as the sole defendant.

According to the first Indictment, the defendant conspired to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl from November of 2018 through August of 2019. The Indictment further alleges that in June of 2019 Williamson distributed fentanyl that caused an overdose death. The second Indictment alleges that on July 15, 2020, the defendant, a convicted felon, possessed ammunition after having been convicted of multiple crimes punishable by more than one year in prison. Those convictions include a federal drug conviction for conspiracy to distribute more than one kilo of heroin and possession with intent to distribute less than 100 grams of heroin. Federal law prohibits anyone who has been convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year from possessing a firearm or ammunition. The court was further informed that the defendant was on federal supervised release when he purchased the ammunition.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to life in prison, a fine of not more than $11,250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. The defendant will remain incarcerated pending the resolution of the case

Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Vasquez Schmitt is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the City of Monessen Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.